£-££ (Expect to pay up to £20 for a jacket or dress)
I love Dirty Harry. And when I say 'love', I'm not indulging my passion for hyperbole. I really, actually love it.
A treasure trove of vintage wonders, Dirty Harry spans three floors - three creaky, old, wooden floors that echo the amazing booty that lies within. Notable by the huge graffiti print of Dirty Harry himself gracing the outside walls, it's one of the biggest - and most reasonable - vintage shops in Brighton, having not signed themselves up to the school of 'vintage = outlandishly expensive' adopted by so many smaller vintage shops here. You can nab yourself a knitted retro sweater for around £18 and a pair of vintage, battered cowboy boots for as little as £25.
The beauty of Dirty Harry's is its variety - you can easily spend a good hour or two in there just sifting through the rails. The friendly staff are willing to help any way they can and are not in any way precocious or arrogant - a problem I've encountered in other shops. You can pick up the weirdest and most wonderful sweatshirts and Hooters or Transformers t-shirts whilst at the same time picking up a Western-style shirt with matching waistcoat. The staff have even gone to the trouble of covering the walls with eclectic mash-ups of vintage to give you a true feel for the clothes - I found myself reaching for the wallet after spending a good twenty minutes on the stairs lusting after a brown shirt/blue dress combo that I'd never have normally worn, just because they made it look so good.
Dirty Harry's is also known for its bargain-basement deals - they currently have plaid shirts on the outside rail for just £3 and have been known to whack a 25% discount on dresses just because it's raining. Who needs a better reason to buy a new dress?! If you subscribe to their Facebook group, you can benefit from even more offers - in the run-up to Christmas they had an offer on each of the twelve days of Christmas. They weren't stingy either - they were massive deals with huge savings.
Dirty Harry's is an Aladdin's Cave of old-fashioned wonderment. Situated right in the heart of the North Laine, my recommendation is to head down on a Sunday, grab a coffee at any of the numerous cafes and give yourself a couple of hours. Even if you've only got £15, you'll still head out with a total bargain. I guarantee.
6 Sydney Street, Brighton BN1 4EN
Tel: (01273) 607 527
Credit/debit cards accepted
I love Dirty Harry. And when I say 'love', I'm not indulging my passion for hyperbole. I really, actually love it. 